On Saturday, Trump praised Musk's efforts to streamline government operations and reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy and then called on his ally to do even more.
"Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive," Trump wrote in all caps on his social media platform, TruthSocial.
A few hours later, Musk responded on his social media platform, X.
"Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."
In just over a month in office, Trump and the White House DOGE office have pushed through buyout offers and laid off swaths of staffers at the US Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and elsewhere.
DOGE on Thursday said it had already saved taxpayers $55 billion, mostly through canceled contracts, though it has made some mistakes in its accounting, like reporting a contract was worth billions when it was actually worth millions.
Musk says his ultimate goal is to cut at least $1 trillion — or a "best-case outcome" of $2 trillion — from the federal budget.
"Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary, a vocal supporter of Trump's economic policies, also said during a CNN interview on Thursday that Musk should go even further in his efforts.
"I don't think he's cutting enough," O'Leary said. "When you find a broken company, whatever you think you should cut, you add 20 percent more to it. Then you see how the organization adjusts, and you can always hire back."
"There's always going to be an opportunity to criticize some cut that was too deep or the wrong person got cut," he continued. "But my point is, as long as you keep the mandate in place, keep cutting, keep hacking, keep slashing. This is good for government."
Musk's move-fast and break-things effort to disrupt and reinvent the federal government is having a significant real-world impact across the country.
In addition to the thousands who have left their jobs and are now unemployed, many farmers and organizations that rely on federal funding are seeking clarification on whether invoices for completed work will be paid.
Legal challenges to Trump's slew of executive actions have added to the uncertainty federal workers now face.
Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.
Finma is a financial management app for your iPhone. It has a focus on user privacy and doesn’t require a connection to your bank account. It also features beautiful charts and many useful features to give you a better financial picture.
The new Major League Soccer season kicks off tonight, with LAFC vs Minnesota as the first game starting now. You can watch the entire league’s games through MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, live and on-demand.
MLS Season Pass costs $99 for the full season, or at a discounted $79 price for Apple TV+ subscribers. Watch all of the regular season and playoff games with no blackouts or regional restrictions, and share one subscription with up to six people using Apple Family Sharing.
Pakistani man Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, accused of plotting an "ISIS inspired" mass shooting at a Brooklyn Center in October, will be extradited to New York to face terror charges. He was wanted by the FBI.
Baby's night out?
Lily Phillips was asked to her face about faking a pregnancy, days after such rumors began circulating in response to the OnlyFans star showcasing an apparent baby bump on social...
Brock and Reba didn’t end up together when the Reba sitcom came to an end — but Christopher Rich isn’t ruling out a reconciliation after the fact.
“That show has such a wonderful following that people will comment about it online, and there’s still a whole thing about Reba and Brock getting back together,” Rich, 71, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his reunion with Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman on NBC’s Happy’s Place. “It kind of kills the show but that’s great credit to Reba and I.”
Rich has appreciated seeing the support for his and McEntire’s characters, adding, “The way we played them made people root for us to get back together as a couple. That’s pretty cool. It’s just so wonderful to work with [Reba and Melissa].”
While Rich doesn’t think Brock and Reba would have lasted, he could see them briefly getting back together. “There’s also a chance that Brock and Reba might have gotten back together for a brief period,” he noted. “That would be fun. It would investigate how exes sometimes reconnect for a brief time and then go, ‘Oh, I see why we divorced.'”
Reba, which aired from 2001 to 2007, followed a single mom (McEntire) who got a fresh start after her husband, Brock (Rich), left her for his pregnant dental hygienist, Barbra Jean (Peterman). Reba focused on raising her three kids — including her pregnant teen daughter (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and her boyfriend (Steve Howey).
Before Rich weighed in with his theories, Peterman, 53, spoke to Us about where she thought each person — and couple — from the sitcom would be today.
Melissa Peterman as Gabby, Reba McEntire as Bobbie, Christopher Rich as Maverick on Reba.Casey Durkin/NBC
“I think Barbra Jean and Brock would still be together. Van and Cheyenne would be. I think Reba would be either in a really committed relationship or married,” she shared in October 2024. “I honestly think Reba should absolutely have met the love of her life in her life.”
Rich hasn’t gotten the chance to reprise his role as Brock but NBC’s Happy’s Place paved the way for several Reba reunions. The onscreen collaboration was extra meaningful for Rich, who suffered a stroke six years prior.
“The crew made it feel like the old Reba set because we were having a blast. They had as much fun as I did, and that was really heartwarming for me. It felt like I was back home in a safe place,” he told Us. “I was really well taken care of. It was a blessing. I want to go back so badly.”
After Happy’s Place wrote his stroke into the script, Rich became more hopeful about revisiting Reba, saying, “Barbara Jean is not going to let Brock get too far away from her. So he’s going to be attached at the hip to Barbara Jean and complaining every step of the way probably. But I imagine if he was well, he’d still be out there playing golf.”
He continued: “That was an interesting thing about what would that be like for Brock to have had a stroke? Melissa had the funniest line. She said, ‘Well, if Brock and Barbara Jean ever get back together and he had the stroke, I can say it’s not so bad. He’s still a loving man. He always was. He doesn’t have any use of his left side — but to be honest — I never much liked what he did with his left hand anyway.'”
Drew Barrymorehas had her ups and downs — and they’ve all played out in the public eye. The former child star overcame a rough past and is now a Hollywood vet with more than 70 credits under her belt.
The California native launched onto the entertainment scene with the 1982 sci-fi E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which was directed by her godfather, Steven Spielberg. The following year, she presented at the Academy Awards at age 4.
Barrymore was born into an acting legacy thanks to her father, John Drew Barrymore, who was an actor. Her great uncle Lionel Drew famously played Mr. Potter in Frank Capra’s 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life.
Today, Barrymore is a box-office success. She’s starred in a string of hits — including Never Been Kissed, The Wedding Singer, Charlie’s Angels and He’s Just Not That Into You. She’s added director to her résumé and made a splash on TV with Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet, which lasted three seasons from 2017 to 2019. Barrymore also hosts her eponymous daytime show, The Drew Barrymore Show.
The Riding in Cars With Boys actress entered rehab at age 13, after doing cocaine for the first time a year prior. She was hospitalized for 18 months and treated for drug and alcohol addiction beginning in 1988. Barrymore was then emancipated from her parents at the age of 15.
The actress began her reign as rom-com royalty with 1998’s The Wedding Singer. She followed it up with roles in Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Home Fries, Never Been Kissed, Fever Pitch and later reunited with Adam Sandler in 50 First Dates.
Barrymore’s Flower Films saw success with 1999’s Never Been Kissed, which was its first production. The company has since worked on two Charlie’s Angels films and a corresponding TV series, Music and Lyrics, He’s Just Not That Into You and How to Be Single.
In 2000, Barrymore appeared in Charlie’s Angels as Dylan. She starred alongside Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu in the action film and its sequel, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.
The actress was married to Tom Green for less than a year, divorcing in 2002. The pair reconnected in September 2020 on The Drew Barrymore Show, after 15 years of not speaking. “You’ve had a whole life and I’ve had a whole life, and it’s just really nice to come together and check in and talk about it,” Barrymore said at the time. “It thrills me to no end. I think the world of you and I celebrate you and I always have and I always will.”
Barrymore starred in, produced and directed 2009’s Whip It. The movie marked her first feature film as a director, having previously done a TV movie documentary and later a video short.
The Hollywood star launched Barrymore Wines in April 2012 with a Pinot Grigio. She has since expanded the label by partnering with Carmel Road and adding a Rosé.
The actress married Will Kopelman in June 2012 after getting engaged six months prior. The couple said “I do” at Barrymore’s Montecito, California, estate.
The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Olive, in September 2012. “I was reading a book with my husband, and I was three months pregnant. They said your baby is the size of an Olive and that was it,” Barrymore said on a December 2012 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, of the origin of her baby’s name. “We never looked back.”
Barrymore founded Flower Beauty in 2012, after tying the knot and giving birth to her first child. The cruelty-free products launched exclusively online and at Walmart but have since expanded to other beauty stores, including Ulta.
The Blended actress released her autobiography, Wildflower, in October 2015, one year after she created the photo book, Find It in Everything. Wildflower later became a New York Times bestseller.
Barrymore and Kopelman divorced in August 2016, four months after announcing their split. “Sadly our family is separating legally, although we do not feel this takes away from us being a family,” the pair said in a joint statement at the time. “Our children are our universe, and we look forward to living the rest of our lives with them as the first priority.”
The Golden Globe winner landed her own talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, in 2019. The show’s September 2020 premiere featured guest appearances by Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Adam Sandler.
“I don’t know how to date with kids. I’m not there yet. I have two young girls, and I don’t want to bring people home,” Barrymore said during a January 2022 episode of her talk show. “I think that it would take me a very long time to meet someone and get to know them before I could ever even introduce them to my daughters.”The Emmy nominee added: “I would maybe live with someone again. Maybe. But there’s no way I will ever, ever, ever be married again.”
“I remember the first time he said he was hanging out with her and I remember just being, like, ‘Are you kidding me? You’re hanging out with Taylor Swift, like, that’s insane [and] that’s awesome for you,’” Jason, 37, recalled during the Friday, February 21, episode of “The Steam Room” podcast. “You meet a lot of people [and] I think this felt different.”
Travis, 35, famously shot his shot with Swift, also 35, during a July 2023 episode of his and Jason’s “New Heights” podcast. At the time, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end called out Swift for “not wanting to meet” — and exchange phone numbers — when he attended her Eras Tour show in KC. Soon enough, Swift listened to Kelce’s “metal as hell” podcast shout-out and got in touch. They started quietly dating for several months before making their public debut at one of his Chiefs games in September 2023.
After Travis began hanging out with Swift, he informed his family of the blossoming romance.
“What also felt different is the way he talks about her and talked about her from the moment he was with her,” Jason said on Friday. “You could tell how much he really, really liked her right from the get-go and just first impressions. I think that level early on of that was something that was very eye-opening to me when we first had discussions.”
“We knew before everyone else knew but it was not, like … it did not hit the group chat,” Jason’s wife, Kylie Kelce, joked during an episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast earlier this month. “Jase and I found out together, but we knew before they hard-launched with her going to a game.”
Jason and Kylie, 32, met Swift in person for the first time at a 2024 playoff game and later linked up for an intimate double date.
“It was at home,” Kylie added on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “I don’t know that I really ate the meal. This is going to sound terrible. I didn’t really eat the meal because I was eight weeks pregnant.”
Kylie, who is currently pregnant with her and Jason’s fourth baby, later clarified that she didn’t refuse Swift’s cooking.
“I wouldn’t refuse anything, especially if I was without child,” Kylie said on the Thursday, February 20, episode of her “Not Gonna Lie” podcast. “The home-cooked meals that I did not get to enjoy were not because I refused to eat them, but because the child in my womb overwhelmed me with hormones that suggested if I consume anything other than crackers, that it might be seen again if you catch my drift. Anyone who has experienced pregnancy nausea knows that it’s not a choice. At eight weeks, that’s not a choice.”
Jenna Dewan has been an actress for more than two decades — and it’s her children who have been the best medicine for shaking off her darker roles.
“Over the years, I’ve learned once I walk off the set, I sort of leave it on set,” Dewan, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting season 7 of The Rookie. “Mentally, it’s kind of [like] as soon as I’m done, I’m done.”
The actress, who plays firefighter Bailey Nune on The Rookie, noted that “sometimes it lingers” which is when she turns to her family to get her out of the funk.
“Having children is like maybe the greatest antidote to this because you come home and they don’t really care,” Dewan explained. “They’re like, ‘What am I having for dinner? And give me a bath and come read five books to me.’ And so you naturally have to switch your brain.”
Steve Kazee, Rhiannon Kazee, Everly Tatum, Jenna Dewan and Callum Kazee.Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Feld Entertainment, Inc.
During season 7 of The Rookie, Dewan faced one of her darkest story lines after her character, Bailey, was kidnapped by her ex-husband, Jason, played by Kazee, 49. After years of domestic violence against Bailey, Jason was killed, but he still haunted her — especially in the Tuesday, February 18, episode of the ABC series.
The latest episode revealed Bailey coming face-to-face with another domestic violence survivor who helped her understand that she was in fact a victim. While Bailey has learned to lean on her husband, Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), Dewan told Us it’s not always easy to leave those stories at the office.
Dewan has implemented a series of self-help tactics to better help her pivot from character back to herself quicker.
“I can either reach out to somebody and talk to somebody and call somebody on the phone or take a bath, take a long hot shower and [start] visualizing and sort of draining off me into the drain and down with the water,” she told Us. “There’s some visualization techniques that I’ve done with certain more intense days on set.”
Nathan Fillion as John Nolan and Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune in ‘The Rookie.’Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja
The Step Up actress noted that she has a “toolbox of how to play intense roles and not let it linger.”
Although Dewan can step back into her home life after a long day on set, she knows that isn’t the case for many domestic violence victims. Dewan appreciates The Rookie shining a light on the truths that come with this type of situation.
“I felt like I gained a lot more insight and empathy into domestic violence victims just in the reading of the scenes and researching it,” she shared, adding, “I do hope that there are people, women and men that are watching this, that feel seen in some way and maybe even unlocks something they didn’t think of before and helps them in their own life.”
Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune in ‘The Rookie.’Disney/Mike Taing
Dewan said that she has gotten a “couple messages” from people who have connected with the Jason and Bailey story line. Fans who have told her, “’I’ve been in a situation like this. I’ve had a [man] that’s really hunted me down and never let go. And you’re giving me hope that I can move on and find a relationship that’s healthy and that gets me and sees me.’”
While Dewan has been grateful that fans have reached out, she told Us, “It’s heartbreaking to think how many people are living with this kind of control and psychological [and] physical abuse in their [homes].”
The Rookie airs on ABC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
The Kennedy Center will usher in the "Golden Age of the Arts" in Washington, D.C., as its new leadership under President Donald Trump plans to roll out productions that will "sell tickets" and appeal to the public, interim Executive Director Richard Grenell told Fox News Digital.
"This will be the Golden Age of the Arts," Grenell told Fox News Digital in an exclusive comment on the matter. "The Kennedy Center has zero cash on hand and zero dollars in reserves - while taking tens of millions of dollars in public funds. We must have programs that sell tickets. We can’t afford to pay for content that doesn’t at least pay for itself right now. I wish we didn’t have to consider the costs of production, but we do."
"The good news is that there are plenty of shows that are very popular, and therefore the ticket sales will pay for themselves," Grenell added.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts serves as the national cultural center of the U.S. and is now led by President Donald Trump as its chairman, Grenell and its board of trustees.
The center came under scrutiny this week as the media and liberal critics spotlighted that a performance by the Gay Men's Chorus and National Symphony Orchestra slated for May as part of Washington, D.C.'s gay pride celebrations was canceled, with critics attempting to tie the cancelation to the Trump administration. The chorus and orchestra were scheduled to perform a show titled "A Peacock Among Pigeons," which is based on an LGBT-themed children's book.
The performance, however, was put on the chopping block weeks before the center's leadership change and was canceled due to lack of ticket sales, Fox News Digital learned. The center's new leadership has not canceled any shows since taking the reins of the cultural center, a source familiar with the Kennedy Center's operations told Fox Digital.
"Artists who have pulled down their shows are only punishing themselves and the patrons. It shows the artists have an intolerance to engage with those of differing opinions. Republicans are patrons, too, they should remember that," the source said of recent left-leaning performers and celebrities who have pulled out of shows.
Grenell, who also serves as special presidential envoy for special missions under the second Trump administration, joined the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday, where he pushed back that the production had been canceled over Trump.
"Suddenly it was, the Gay Men’s Chorus was dropping out because of Trump. That wasn’t true," Grenell added. "It was replaced with with some other things, that happens all the time."
A production of "The Wizard of Oz" replaced the planned performance of "A Peacock Among Pigeons," the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra said earlier this week, underscoring that the planned performance had been canceled before the leadership change and was due to financial issues.
"Before the leadership transition at the Kennedy Center, we made the decision to postpone Peacock Among Pigeons due to financial and scheduling factors. We chose to replace it with ‘The Wizard of Oz,' another suitable program for World PRIDE participation," the orchestra's Executive Director, Jean Davidson, said in a statement earlier this week.
"Program changes are a common practice. We were unable to announce the replacement program until we had secured the rights to present it, but in the interest of transparency, we removed the original program from the website to prevent further ticket sales. The Gay Men's Chorus was to be contracted as a guest artist for Peacock Among Pigeons," Davidson added.
Grenell previewed during his remarks at CPAC that the Kennedy Center will now focus on performances "the public want to see," such as Christmas-focused productions in December.
"We have to do the big productions that the masses and the public want to see, we want to have really good programming," he said. "So the first thing that we’re doing … you’ve got to be at the Kennedy Center in December, because we are doing a big, huge celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas. How crazy is it to think that we’re going to celebrate Christ at Christmas with a big traditional production to celebrate what we are all celebrating in the world during Christmastime, which is the birth of Christ."
Trump fired a handful of the center's previous board members earlier this month, arguing that they did "not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture." He replaced the former members with 14 other members, including allies such as second lady Usha Vance and "God Bless the USA" singer lee Greenwood.
"At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture," Trump posted to Truth Social on Feb. 7.
Trump indicated that the motivation behind firing the former board members was due to the Kennedy Center's drag show performances under the Biden administration that targeted children.
"Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP. The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!" Trump said on Truth Social earlier this month.
"We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!" he added.
The new board elected Trump as chairman on Feb. 12. Trump appointed Grenell – who became the U.S.'s first openly gay cabinet member under the first Trump administration when he served as acting director of national intelligence – as interim executive director amid the board shakeup.
"I think the frustration that President Trump had is that the Kennedy Center has no cash on hand, no reserves, and they have been paying for the salaries with the debt reserves, while taking around $40 million of public money," Grenell said at CPAC on Friday.
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